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Home » Archives for December 2014

Archives for December 2014

CutCompCosts Blog – 360,000+ Page Views In One Day – November

December 18, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

CutCompCosts Blog Pops In Popularity For One Day

The CutCompCosts Blog had over 360,000+ Page Views in November.  If you own a blog, using Google’s webmaster tools may help your web traffic and enhance your website analysis.                                                           

I was reading through some of the statistics on visitors, unique page views, and general traffic today.   Interestingly enough the blog, which is now doing much better on WordPress had over 360,000 unique page views in one day.Logo Of CutCompCosts Blog J&L

We currently used to use Blogger as our blog provider.  The switch likely made a difference.  The increase could be due to the import to change the blog from Blogger to WordPress.

I was analyzing the numbers to see what articles had driven the most traffic to the website.  Interestingly enough, the graph looked like a fad bell curve.   No determination could be made exactly what caused the sharp spike in traffic.  

The spike was not a mistake.  I do not like to use the word anomaly.   The total was for one 24 hour period.  That is usually our monthly total.   Pageviews are not just web hits.   They are actual views from readers. 

We are still looking at the data.   Thanks from the CutCompCosts blog for reading the articles and blog posts.

If there are any subjects you wish covered, please email us.  We always like new ideas and unique article suggestions. 

2020 Update –  We had two web consultants besides me analyze the traffic.   After examining the sources of the traffic, there was no explanation other than an explosion of readers for a 48-hour period.   No one article was more popular than the other.  We had thought it was an opposing counsel in James J Moore’s expert witness work reviewing the blog for deposition questions.  That was not the case.

We hope to recreate that type of traffic on the CutCompCosts blog more often.  Once again, thanks to our newsletter and article readers. 

 

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: Cutcompcosts Tagged With: bell curve, pageviews

Claim Reviews = ‘Tis Season For Wasting Time Fa La La La

December 18, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Tis’ The Season For Claim Reviews

Many articles have appeared in this blog on claim reviews.  

One of the best methods to keep abreast of your current Workers Compensation claims situation is by reviewing your claims with your insurance carrier.

Graphic Of Claim Reviews Tis' Season Letering

Stock Unlimited

We have seen many times where reviews are scheduled for the last two weeks of December as the policy renewal is on January 1st.  While it is always great to do a claim review, the value of your claims in December has very little to do with your upcoming E-mod calculation, better known as promulgation.

We have been called in to assist with December 31 reviews quite a few times.  Unless the policy renews July 1st or later, we usually suggest a reschedule of that meeting as the Workers Comp policies that renew in July or later would be the applicable policies for a December claims review.

Your review should have been in May or June, earlier in the year, as your E-Mod actually pegged at 12 midnight on July 1st.   The Workers Comp system is a 6-month delayed system to allow your insurance carrier a longer period for claims development.

There are many schedules for reviews on this blog.   Use the search box to find them.

I am not discouraging claim reviews as any review at any time is great.   However, the timing of these critical reviews will avoid wasting time when your company (and your insurance carrier) have so much on their plate.

This does not apply to self-insureds as your company or organization should have a Loss Development Factor that is usually tabulated on a very different schedule.

Happy Holidays and remember  3 months after your current policy renews or 6 months before your TPA contract expires is the best time for claim reviews. 

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: claim file audit Tagged With: December, January 31st, promulgation, tabulated

More WC Innovation from NWCDC – Thermazone

December 11, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

WC Innovation from NWCDC From Medical Company

I had written earlier in the week on searching for WC innovation at the recent National Workers Compensation and Disability Conference last month in Las Vegas.

Picture of WC Innovation People with Various Occupations Putting Their Hands on Top of Each Other

123RF

As most of the innovation was in the vendor booths, I visited everyone of them over two days time.  It was great to see cutting edge products and services.

A simple but wonderful technique for pain control without drugs was one of the vendors. Thermazone– actually let me try out their product at the booth (great marketing) seemed to have an innovative product.

I am not an expert in mechanics, medicine, or bio-science.   However, Thermazone was a great innovation.  They have a Thermazone unit that heats or cools very quickly.  It is very thin.  The unit was small enough to carry in my hand.

Once the unit was turned on, once to heat and once to cool, the relief, if needed was instantaneous.    The pad that was hooked up to the unit by hoses was very thin, pliable, and comfortable.

The temperature was controlled by water flowing through micro-welded channels.  All the user had to do was add distilled water that you can buy at Walmart for 90 cents per gallon.

Instead of me droning on about their use, below is information from their website.  WC adjusters, risk managers, rehab nurses, and industrial physicians should take notice of a great product.   I did not evaluate the cost of the product.

Description

Finally, a device that offers easy, high-efficiency heating and cooling therapy without the use of ice!

Our compact design is packed full of features and provides consistent, therapeutic temperature levels for any part of the body. Our technology is designed to treat the total range of traumatology including:

  • Picture of WC Innovation Injured Man with Wrapped Ankle on Crutches Low Section

    StockUnlimited

    In-Hospital & Clinic Treatment

  • Post-Surgical Recovery
  • Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine
  • Professional Physiotherapy
  • Sports Medicine
  • Trauma Rehabilitation
  • Private and In-Home Care
  • Pain Management

This technology satisfies a clear unmet clinical need- safe, effective and targeted localized treatment with precise temperature management and registration. Traditional means of heating and cooling therapy (ice packs and gel packs, heating pads and circulating devices) are not efficient or fully effective including issues with:

  • Pain and temperature miss-use (freeze burns and hot spots)
  • Condensation (dripping)
  • Rapid loss of temperature
  • No temperature control
  • Toxic content, risk of wound poisoning
  • Environmental impact

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: Las Vegas, National Workers Comp Conference Tagged With: innovations, Thermazone, vendor booth

EMod (XMod) Can I Obtain One Before My Agent Provides It Every Year?

December 9, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

My EMod (XMod) – When Can You Obtain It?

How do I obtain my Emod (Experience Modification Factor0?  This question was emailed from a  medium-sized company from Kansas.  

Picture Of Man EMod Calculation

StockUnlimited

We receive this question regarding EMods often from employers that wish to budget for their upcoming Workers Comp policy year.    A large number of employers also want to avoid the last-minute E-Mod (X-Mod) surprise.

The earliest an EMod can be promulgated d (calculated) is 6 months before the policy ends in most states.   Your loss run actually has the necessary data to calculate the E-Mod.    However, there is a very large caveat here.

Selecting the correct levels of the proper variables from the loss runs is beyond critical.  The Rating  Bureau’s (NCCI, WCIRB) EMod formula is very specific on the data needed to end up with the correct  E-Mod.    Your company may need a consultant to calculate the E-Mod before it is produced by the rating bureau.

Man Figuring EMod Calculation

StockUnlimited

Your company’s time may be better spent earlier in the year obtaining your loss runs and then reviewing the outstanding reserve values.   Your company will usually have six months after your new policy renews to review your loss runs for next years’ E-Mod.

There are numerous articles in this blog concerning loss run review schedules.   You should check those out in detail by searching for the word “schedule” in the search box.

This timetable for loss run review may sound a bit confusing.   The main thing to remember is to get started on next years’ E-mod as soon as possible.    Safety is always the best way to reduce your E-Mod.

As a last resort,  your company can always request a copy of your E-Mod (X-Mod from your respective rating bureau.   The lion’s share of those will be provided by the NCCI or WCIRB.  You may Google those terms to find the proper contact information.    If your agent is timely about providing your quotes then you will likely receive the E-Mod not long after it is produced by the rating bureau.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: E-Mod X-Mod Tagged With: Caveat, promulgate, timetable

Proove Pharmaceuticals Great Innovator NWCDC – Las Vegas

December 8, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Proove Pharmaceuticals – Innovator 

A great innovator Proove Pharmaceuticals was a vendor at the NWCDC  in Las Vegas.

Male Pharmacist Proove Pharmaceuticals Medicine

StockUnlimited

Workers Compensation is not one of the lines of insurance with very many innovations over the years.   I had decided that there had to be some innovation at the nation’s largest WC conference.  Using my press pass, thanks NWCDC, I decided that most of the innovations would be at the vendor booths.

Over the next few days, I will include some of the more innovative products and services gleaned from visiting, yes, every booth.

I had visited all the vendor booths at the NWCDC conference two years ago.  A bone scanner was the closest device/idea/service which could be considered as innovative The same tactic of visiting all the booths was used this time.

One of the more innovative products, in my opinion, was being able to treat a WC patient with medications that were adjusted due to a genetic profile on how the prescriptions would affect an injured worker. (Wow!)

One of the statistics  quoted in their brochure was that 60% of patients do not have adequate pain control with their medications.  That is a striking number.

Picture of capsules Proove Pharmaceuticals Drug test

(c) es.123rf.com

This method was in the news a few months ago.  The company Proove Pharmaceuticals  was innovative in two ways:

  1. Having this forward-thinking medical treatment available
  2. Offering the service to the WC market

The two main areas that would seem to match very well with WC is their Metabolic Assessment and the Opioid Risk Assessment.

From the Proove Pharmaceuticals brochure:

Largest Pharmacogenetics Profile Available – I think this means they have the largest genomes identified to compare for medication management.

Their services purport to:

  • Guide medication selection, dosing, and evaluation
  • Interpret urine drug monitoring results
  • Individualize treatment for narcotic detoxification

This service can only expand over the new few years or decades for Workers Comp treatment.  The cost may be one of the more inhibiting factors.    I will cover more innovative findings from the NWCDC Conference tomorrow.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: National Workers Comp Conference Tagged With: detoxification, DNA, vendor

North Carolina – Taxi Driver Was Independent Contractor

December 3, 2014 By JL Risk Management Consultants

Taxi Driver  Independent Contractor  NC Court of Appeals

Independent Contractor  status is one of  the most confusing areas in Workers Compensation over the last decade.  A recent North Carolina Court of Appeals decision actually strengthens the laws already in place.  (See NC 97.5-1).

Picture Of Yellow Taxi Independent Contractor In Road Line

StockUnlimited

There are many articles in this blog concerning contractors.   Many states have enacted laws over the last few years to make the independent contractor vs. employee classification decision easier for employers.  

The IRS has published many guides on how to make the determination for tax purposes.

The case – Refik Ademovic v.  Yellow Cab of Charlotte- involved a shooting by a passenger.    The Deputy Commissioner denied benefits due to the lack of an employee-employer relationship.    The Full Commission reversed the Deputy Commissioner’s ruling and awarded benefits.

The defendants appealed the case of the Court of Appeals.  A unanimous three-justice panel reversed the Full Commission’s award of benefits as Mr.  Ademovic was ruled to have been an independent contractor.

The issue at hand was the amount of control that Yellow Cab had over the plaintiff.  Click on the link in the third paragraph to see the full text of the decision.

Yellow Cab Independent Contractor On The Road

Wikimedia Commons – Ad Meskens

Mr. Ademovic did not receive pay from Yellow Cab.  He paid the company a weekly franchise fee of $195.  The other major factor on the Appellate decision was that he was able to actually pick up passengers that hailed his cab or pick up passengers from taxi stands.   He was not required to have his customers dispatched from Yellow Cab.

From the decision-

“Defendant Taxi did not determine the number of days or the number of hours plaintiff worked, instead allowing plaintiff to determine his own work schedule.”

This passage points out the level of control that Yellow Cab had over the plaintiff.   One has to wonder if we will see this case on a NC Supreme Court docket in the future.

©J&L Risk Management Inc Copyright Notice

Filed Under: independent contractor, North Carolina Tagged With: Commissioner, NC 97.5-1, north carolina court of appeals, taxi, yellow cab

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James J Moore
Raleigh, NC, United States

James founded a Workers’ Compensation consulting firm, J&L Risk Mgmt Consultants, Inc. in 1996. J&L’s mission is to reduce our clients’ Workers Compensation premiums by using time-tested techniques. J&L’s claims, premium, reserve and Experience Mod reviews have saved employers over $9.8 million in earned premiums over the last three years. J&L has saved numerous companies from bankruptcy proceedings as a result of insurance overpayments.

James has over 27 years of experience in insurance claims, audit, and underwriting, specializing in Workers’ Compensation. He has supervised, and managed the administration of Workers’ Compensation claims, and underwriting in over 45 states. His professional experience includes being the Director of Risk Management for the North Carolina School Boards Association. He created a very successful Workers’ Compensation Injury Rehabilitation Unit for school personnel.

James’s educational background, which centered on computer technology, culminated in earning a Masters of Business Administration (MBA); an Associate in Claims designation (AIC); and an Associate in Risk Management designation (ARM). He is a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and a licensed financial advisor. The NC Department of Insurance has certified him as an insurance instructor. He also possesses a Bachelors’ Degree in Actuarial Science.

LexisNexis has twice recognized his blog as one of the Top 25 Blogs on Workers’ Compensation. J&L has been listed in AM Best’s Preferred Providers Directory for Insurance Experts – Workers Compensation for over eight years. He recently won the prestigious Baucom Shine Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer contributions to the area of risk management and safety. James was recently named as an instructor for the prestigious Insurance Academy.

James is on the Board of Directors and Treasurer of the North Carolina Mid-State Safety Council. He has published two manuals on Workers’ Compensation and three different claims processing manuals. He has also written and has been quoted in numerous articles on reducing Workers’ Compensation costs for public and private employers. James publishes a weekly newsletter with 7,000 readers.

He currently possess press credentials and am invited to various national Workers Compensation conferences as a reporter.

James’s articles or interviews on Workers’ Compensation have appeared in the following publications or websites:
• Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)
• Entrepreneur Magazine
• Bloomberg Business News
• WorkCompCentral.com
• Claims Magazine
• Risk & Insurance Magazine
• Insurance Journal
• Workers Compensation.com
• LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites
• Various trade publications

 

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